On February 16, 1935, representatives from Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas signed the Interstate Compact to Preserve Oil and Gas, creating the Interstate Oil Compact Commission (IOCC) — the first multi-state agreement aimed at regulating oil and gas production and preventing waste.
At the time, U.S. oil production was recovering from the Great Depression, and the compact helped states coordinate output, stabilizing markets and conserving resources. By the end of the decade, the IOCC influenced more than 70% of U.S. oil production, showing the power of interstate collaboration in the energy sector.
